User-applied, in-stream association of media content with a video content item is disclosed. During presentation of a video content item, a user selects or otherwise identifies a media content item to be associated with the video content item. The user further selects or otherwise identifies a temporal position (e.g., time value) within the video content item with which the media content item is to be associated. In one example, a user selects and drags the media content item to or toward the video content item within a GUI to define the association. In at least some implementations, the video content item may be presented via a different device than the media content item, thereby forming a multi-platform association.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method performed by a computing system, the method comprising: transmitting an instance of a video content item to a first client device over a communications network for presentation at the first client device; selecting multiple applicable media content items for the video content item based on attributes of the video content item, the attributes including metadata of the video content item; transmitting an instance of the multiple applicable media content items for the video content item and/or one or more representations of the multiple applicable media content items to the first client device over the communications network for presentation at the first client device alongside or overlaying presentation of the video content item; receiving association information over the communications network, the association information originating at and transmitted by the first client device responsive to the first client device receiving one or more user inputs indicating a target media content item of the multiple applicable media content items to be associated with the video content item and further indicating a temporal position within the video content item with which the target media content item is to be associated, wherein the one or more user inputs include a selection of the target media content item within a graphical user interface and a dragging or flicking of the target media content item within the graphical user interface toward the video content item presented within the graphical user interface to define an association between the target media content item and the video content item, and the temporal position of the video content item with which the target media content item is to be associated; associating the target media content item with the video content item and the temporal position of the video content item in a data store based on the association information received over the communications network, the association information including or otherwise indicating the temporal position within the video content item with which the target media content item is to be associated; transmitting another instance of the video content item to a second client device over the communications network for presentation at the second client device; and transmitting another instance of one or more associated media content items for the video content item including the associated target media content item and/or one or more representations of the one or more associated media content items to the second client device over the communications network for presentation at the second client device alongside or overlaying presentation of the video content item at the temporal position within the video content item.
A system allows users to associate media content with specific times in a video. A server sends a video to a user's device. The server selects related media content based on the video's metadata. The user sees the video and suggested media. Using a drag-and-drop interface, the user links a media item to a specific time within the video. The user's device sends this association data back to the server. The server saves this link. Later, when another user watches the same video, the associated media content is displayed at the correct time.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the association information includes or otherwise indicates an identity of the video content item.
The method of associating media with a video as described above includes the association information containing or indicating the specific video content item that the media is being linked to. This allows the system to correctly identify the video when applying the association.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the association information includes or otherwise indicates an identity of the target media content item to be associated with the video content item.
The method of associating media with a video as described above includes the association information containing or indicating the specific media content item that is being linked to the video. This allows the system to correctly identify and retrieve the media item when the video is played.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the association information further includes or otherwise further indicates a duration of time for presentation of the target media content item in relation to the temporal position.
The method of associating media with a video as described above includes the association information specifying how long the associated media content should be displayed when the video reaches the linked time. This allows control of the media item's on-screen duration.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the association information includes or otherwise indicates an identity of the first client device and/or a first user of the first client device defining the association.
The method of associating media with a video as described above includes the association information identifying the specific user or device that created the association. This could be used for attribution or personalization of media associations.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple applicable media content items include one or more textual tags, textual articles, images, video items, audio items, rating items, commentary items, bookmarks, websites, and/or network resources; and wherein the one or more representations of the multiple applicable media content items include one or more graphical thumbnail images, icons, text items, and/or hyperlinks.
In the system for associating media with a video as described above, the suggested media content can include tags, articles, images, videos, audio, ratings, comments, bookmarks, websites, or network resources. Representations of media can be thumbnails, icons, text, or hyperlinks, providing various display options to the user.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: transmitting an instance of the video content item to a third client device over the communications network for presentation at the third client device; transmitting an instance of the multiple applicable media content items for the video content item and/or the one or more representations of the multiple applicable media content items to the third client device over the communications network for presentation at the third client device alongside or overlaying presentation of the video content item; receiving additional association information over the communications network, the additional association information originating at and transmitted by the third client device responsive to the third client device receiving one or more user inputs indicating an additional target media content item of the multiple applicable media content items to be associated with the video content item and indicating an additional temporal position within the video content item with which the additional target media content item is to be associated; and associating the additional target media content item with the video content item and the additional temporal position of the video content item in the data store based on the additional association information received over the communications network; wherein the one or more associated media content items and/or the one or more representations of the one or more associated media content items transmitted to the second client device further includes the additional associated target media content item and/or a representation of the additional associated media content item for presentation at the second client device alongside or overlaying presentation of the video content item at the temporal positions within the video content item.
The method of associating media with a video as described above involves multiple users. A first user associates media with the video at a specific time. Then, a second user watches the video and sees the first user's associations. A third user can also associate different media with the same video at another time. The second user will then see both sets of associated media when watching the video. This allows multiple users to contribute to the associated content for a video.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving additional association information over the communications network, the additional association information originating at and transmitted by the second client device responsive to the second client device receiving one or more user inputs indicating an additional target media content item of the multiple applicable media content items to be associated with the video content item and/or indicating an additional temporal position within the video content item with which the additional target media content item is to be associated; associating the additional target media content item with the video content item and the additional temporal position of the video content item in the data store based on the additional association information received over the communications network; transmitting yet another instance of the video content item to a third client device over the communications network for presentation at the third client device; and transmitting yet another instance of one or more associated media content items for the video content item including the associated target media content item and the additional associated media content item, and/or one or more representations of the one or more associated media content items to the third client device over the communications network for presentation at the third client device alongside or overlaying presentation of the video content item at the temporal positions within the video content item.
The method of associating media with a video as described above allows multiple users to associate media with the same video, and those associations are then visible to other users. A second user watching the video can add their own media associations at different times in the video. A third user watching the video will then see both the first user's and the second user's media associations at the appropriate times.
9. A computing system including one or more computing devices, the computing system comprising: a logic subsystem to execute instructions; and a data storage subsystem having instructions stored thereon executable the logic subsystem to: select multiple applicable media content items for a video content item based on attributes of the video content item, the attributes including metadata of the video content item; transmit the multiple applicable media content items for the video content item and/or one or more representations of the multiple applicable media content items to a first client device over a communications network for presentation at the first client device alongside or overlaying presentation of the video content item; receive association information over the communications network, the association information originating at and transmitted by the first client device responsive to the first client device receiving one or more user inputs indicating a target media content item of the multiple applicable media content items to be associated with the video content item and indicating a temporal position within the video content item with which the target media content item is to be associated, wherein the one or more user inputs include a selection of the target media content item within a graphical user interface and a dragging or flicking of the target media content item within the graphical user interface toward the video content item presented within the graphical user interface to define an association between the target media content item and the video content item, and the temporal position of the video content item with which the target media content item is to be associated; associate the target media content item with the video content item and the temporal position of the video content item based on the association information received over the communications network, the association information including or otherwise indicating the temporal position within the video content item with which the target media content item is to be associated; and transmit one or more associated media content items and/or one or more representations of the associated media content items to the second client device over a communications network for presentation at the second client device alongside or overlaying presentation of the video content item at the temporal position within the video content item.
A computer system is designed to let users associate media with videos. The system selects suggested media content based on the video's metadata. It sends these suggestions to a user's device, displaying them alongside the video. If the user drags a suggested media item onto the video at a specific time, the system records this association. This means the media content is now linked to that specific point in the video. When another user watches the same video, the system displays the associated media content at the correct time.
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March 14, 2014
May 9, 2017
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